Sony Sold More Than 4.2 Million PlayStation 4s Last Year

January 7, 2014

Microsoft announced yesterday that it sold more than three million Xbox One consoles before the end of 2013. Now Sony has weighed in with its latest PlayStation 4 sales figures, and it seems that the PlayStation brand is back on top.

At Sony’s big Consumer Entertainment Show (CES) event Sony Computer Entertainment CEO Andrew House announced that more than 4.2 million PlayStation 4 consoles had been sold to consumers as of December 28, 2013. The figure shows that Sony was able to sell around 1.2 million more of its new video game consoles than Microsoft was in the last few weeks of 2013. The announcement also demonstrates that Sony has been able to manufacture and distribute the PlayStation 4 at a breakneck pace, as the console currently sells in 53 different countries.

Along with the PlayStation 4 hardware, it seems that Sony is off to a good start in software sales for the new console. Sony estimates that more than 9.7 million PS4 games were sold before the end of 2013. Top PS4 games include big yearly titles such as Call of Duty: Ghosts and Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag, as well as Sony’s own Killzone: Shadow Fall.

Adding even more good news, Sony revealed that subscriptions for its PS Plus service have increased by 90% since the PlayStation 4 launched on November 15. The service is required for PlayStation 4 users to play multiplayer games online – a requirement that is absent for PlayStation 3 consoles.

The PlayStation 4’s streaming capabilities, which could easily have been dismissed as a gimmick when they were announced last year, also seem to have resonated with gamers. Sony estimates that 1.7 million broadcasts have been sent from PlayStation 4 consoles and Twitch has stated that 20% of its broadcasters own a PlayStation 4.

“The momentum of the PS4 system keeps getting stronger and we couldn’t be more thrilled gamers worldwide are enjoying the incredibly immersive gaming experiences along with deep social capabilities and entertainment provided by our network,” said House. “After a remarkable launch, we look forward to bringing even more exciting content and continuing to explore the power of the PS4 system by adding new features and services, including PlayStation Now, in 2014.”